
Set against the glittering courts of 19th‑century Central Europe, the tale follows a quick‑witted Hungarian jester who rises from the margins of imperial bureaucracy to become the darling of emperors and princes. Trained in the art schools of Munich, he dazzles aristocrats with flamboyant facial contortions, multilingual banter, and a repertoire of clever tricks that turn even the sternest officials into laughing spectators.
When a rival fool arrives from Bavaria, the court transforms into a stage for a playful rivalry, each trying to out‑shine the other in absurdity and invention. Their escalating antics—ranging from elaborate card tricks to satirical verses for royal birthdays—draw both admiration and exasperation from their lofty patrons. The story captures the delicate balance between humor and power, offering a vivid portrait of a world where a single laugh could shift the tides of courtly intrigue.
Language
hu
Duration
~5 hours (317K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Hungary: Révai Testvérek, 1910.
Credits
Albert László from page images generously made available by the Google Books Library Project
Release date
2022-10-15
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1847–1910
A warm, sharp-eyed storyteller of village life and social ambition, he became one of the most admired Hungarian writers around the turn of the 20th century. His fiction blends humor, sympathy, and satire, turning everyday people and local worlds into memorable stories.
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